

































A 


vester Night's Adventure 


BY 

HEINRICH ZSCHOKKE 

>\ 

■ oX-C 


TRANSL AT E D 

P.Y 

M. B. W. 


. OF CO^Qp> 

^COPVRIG 

FES /c 1884.- 'I 


No 

°P washin^I. 


CINCINNATI 
ROBERT CLARKE & CO 
1884 



Copyright, 1884, 

By ROBERT CLARKE & CO. 


All rights reserved. 


The manuscript of the translation of this 
little story, I found among the papers of my 
wife a few months ago, complete, excepting 
a few pages. I have finished it, and had it 
published, that the profits from whatever 
sales it may have may accrue to the bene- 
fit of the Associated Charities, a society of 
which she was, in her life, a zealous mem- 
ber. 


j. T. w. 














































































































































































































































































































A SYLVESTER NIGHT’S ADVENTURE. 


I. 

IT is the last night of the old year. The 
^ clock in the steeple had j ust struck the hou r 
of nine, when good mother Catharine, wife of 
the old night watchman, opened the little shut- 
ters, raised the window, and put her head out 
into the cold night air. Snow was fast carpet- 
ing the streets of the royal city, and the great, 
still flakes, as they fell by the windows, caught 
the glow of the lights within and gleamed like 
rubies in the air. Tor a good while the old 
woman looked down upon the hurrying, skur- 
rying crowd below, buying New-year’s pres- 
ents in the brilliantly illuminated shops and 
stores, or streaming in and out of the restau- 
rants, coffee houses, wine cellars, and ball 
rooms, all intent upon celebrating with proper 


6 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


festivity the marriage of the old year with the 
new. At last, as a couple of big, cold snow 
flakes fell upon her nose, she quickly drew back 
her head, shut the window, and said to her 
husband : 

“ Gottliebchen, you stay at home to-night 
and let Philip take your place; for it snows 
like everything, and the hitter cold won’t do 
your old hones any good, as you know. I tell 
you, it’s lively in the streets to-night; looks as 
if there was feasting and dancing in every 
house, and every body is going about in 
masks. Our Philip won’t get tired to-night, 
I know.” 

Old Gottlieb nodded his head and said : 

“Well, Katie, I quite agree with you. My 
barometer, this old wound above my knee, has 
already declared, two days ago, that the 
weather would change. Let the boy take 
part in the service which he will one day in- 
herit from me.” 

Just here it ought to be said, that old Gott- 
lieb once served in a regiment of his king, 
and, in the storming of a fort which lip was 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


7 


the first to enter, he got a shot in the knee 
which made him a cripple for life. His cap- 
tain, who entered the fort after its capture, 
received upon the battle field for such heroic 
service, a cross of merit and a promotion in 
rank, hut the poor night watchman had to he 
content to get off alive with his broken leg. 
It is true that he got a place as a school mas- 
ter, at first, for he was an intelligent man, who 
had a good hand-writing, and was very fond 
of hooks. But, with a change in the admin- 
istration, this place was taken from him and 
given to a young fellow who could not read, 
write, or reckon as well as he, but who made 
up for all these defects by being a relative of 
a member of the school board. Old Gottlieb 
was, however, not entirely cast out in the cold, 
for he got the position of night watchman, an 
office for which he was quite unfitted on ac- 
count of his wound, and in which he could 
not have served at all had he not been gra- 
ciously allowed to use, as an occasional sub- 
stitute, his son, Philip, whose proper trade 
was gardening. 


8 A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 

So the little house was pretty hard pushed 
to get along. Still, Frau Catharine was a good 
housewife, a very careful manager, and old 
Gottlieb was a true philosopher who knew 
how to he happy with little help. 

Philip was able to. make, in the position of 
gardener, hut little more than his daily bread, 
though, when he carried home flowers which 
had been ordered, he nearly always got an 
extra trifle for himself. For Philip was a 
manly, handsome young fellow of twenty-six, 
and his bright eyes and agreeable ways se- 
cured him favors from all the ladies wherever 
he went. 

Mother Katie had thrown a little shawl 
over her, and was about to call her son from 
the gardener’s, when he just stepped into the 
room. 

“ Father,” said Philip, as he shook hands 
with both father and mother, “ it snows hard, 
and this kind of weather is not good for you. 
I will take your place, if you will go to bed 
to-night.” 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure 9 

“Yon are a good fellow, Philip,” said his 
father. 

“ And then,” continued Philip, “ to-morrow 
being Yew-years, I thought I might eat din- 
ner with you, and we might all have a good 
time. Mother has, possibly, a little roast in 
the kitchen ” 

“ Yot exactly a roast,” said his mother, “but 
still something — let me see; a pound and a 
half , of veal, potatoes for vegetables, and rice 
with laurel leaves for soup — also two bottles of 
beer to drink. Come, Philip, we can live high 
to-morrow. And next week the night watch- 
man gets his Yew-years’ money, that is if 
they give any this year, and then we can live 
well a long time.” 

“Ah! so much the better, mother, dear; 
but have you paid the house rent yet? ” asked 
Philip. 

His old father shrugged his shoulders in re- 
sponse. 

Philip put some money on the table, saying : 

“ There are twenty-two guldens that I have 
saved out of my own earnings. I don’t want 


10 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

them. Take them for a Hew-years’ present. 
So we all three can begin the new year with- 
out fear or care. Gocl grant us all health to 
live through it. Heaven will take care of us 
all in the future.” 

His fond mother kissed him, with tears in 
her eyes, and old Gottlieb said : 

“ Philip, you are truly the trust and staff of 
our age. God will surely reward you for it 
some day. Be only always honest, and love 
your parents. I tell you again, you will surely 
he blessed for it some day. I wish you noth- 
ing more for Hew-years, but that you may 
keep your heart fearless and fresh and free. 
All that is always in your power; and then 
you are always rich enough, for you have all 
the wealth of Paradise in your heart.” 

As he spoke, the old man hobbled over to 
his table, opened his big account book, and 
wrote down with his trembling hand the sum, 
twenty-two guldens, saying : 

“How, Philip, you have already paid us 
all that you cost us as a child. We have re- 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 11 

ceived and spent, of your savings, three hun- 
dred and seventeen guldens in all.” 

“ Three hundred and seventeen guldens!” 
repeated his mother, with great astonishment 
and grief. Then, turning to Philip, with a 
heart overflowing with sympathy, she said, in 
a soft voice : 

“ Herzen skind, I pity you. Indeed, indeed, 
I am sorry for you, Philip. If you could have 
saved and laid by that sum for yourself, you 
could have bought a little piece of land, had 
your own little garden, and married good 
Posie long ago. And now you can do none 
of these things. But take comfort, Philip 
dear. We are both old, and you won’t have 
to support us much longer.” 

“ Why, mother ! ” exclaimed Philip, with 
a little frown, “ what are you talking about? 
Rosie is very dear to me indeed, dear as my 
life, hut I would give a hundred Rosies for 
you and father. I can not have more than 
one father and mother in this world, but, if 
it had to he, many other sweethearts — though 


12 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

I know I couldn’t find among ten thousand 
one so good as my Rosie.” 

“You are right, Philip,” said the old man. 
“ To fall in love and get married is no par- 
ticular merit, but to honor and support your 
poor old parents is duty and merit both. For 
a son to sacrifice his feelings and passions for 
the happiness of his parents, is true filial 
gratitude and devotion. , It brings its reward 
from heaven, Philip my hoy, for it makes the 
heart noble and rich.” 

“ If, only,” interrupted his mother, “ the 
little girl don’t get impatient at waiting so 
long, or grow faithless to you, Philip. For 
every one knows Rosie is a pretty girl. She 
is poor, to be sure, but she won’t want for 
beaux. For she is so good, and understands 
housekeeping so well.” 

“ Oh ! there is no fear of Rosie,” Philip an- 
swered quickly. “ She promised me sacredly 
to have no one but me; and that is enough. 
Her old mother does not object to me at all; 
and if I could carry on my trade for myself 
to-day, so that I could support a wife, Rosie 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 13 

and I would walk up to the altar to-morrow, 
I know. But it’s very annoying that the old 
widow forbids us to see each other as often 
as we wish. She says it does us no good. 
But I find, and Bosie finds, too, that it does 
us both a great deal of good. And to-night 
we have both promised to meet at twelve 
o’clock, at the big door of Gregory church. 
For Bosie expects to pass New-year’s-eve 
with one of her friends near there, and I am 
to see her home.” 

The big bell in the neighboring tower now 
struck the three-quarters, and Philip took 
down the nightwatchman’s cloak from be- 
hind the stove, where his thoughtful mother 
had hung it, flung it about his broad shoul- 
ders, picked up the horn and the staff, bade 
good-night to his parents, and betook him- 
self to his post. 


14 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


II. 



HILIP stepped proudly along the streets 


^ of the royal city, over which more people 
were still strolling about than even during 
the day. Carriages were driving hither and 
thither; every house was bright and joyful. 
The nightwatchman soon caught the general 
cheer. He sang aloud, and blew his horn 
when the 'hour of ten arrived, at the proper 
places, but most cheerily, of course, and with 
many happy thoughts, in the vicinity of the 
old Gregory church, where he very well knew 
his Rosie was being entertained by her friends. 

“Now she hears me,” he said to himself. 
“ Now she must think of me, and in doing so 
forget, perhaps, every one and every thing 
else. If she only won’t fail to meet me at 
the church door at the hour of twelve ! ” 

After he had finished his patrol through the 
city quarter, he could not help returning to 
the house again to look up at its illuminated 
windows. Sometimes he could easily dis- 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 15 

tinguish female figures, and once he thought 
he recognized his Rosie. Then he felt his 
heart palpitate beneath his cloak. When the 
figures vanished, he would try to make out 
from the long shadows on the walls and ceil- 
ing which was Rosie’s, and what she was 
doing. It was not very pleasant to stand 
shivering in the cold and snow to make these 
observations, but what cold or snow could 
chill such a lover as Philip. For so it is, that 
even a nightwatchman may love as fondly, 
in our day, as ever a belted knight in the ro- 
mantic days of ancient chivalry ! 

It was only when the old clock in the tower 
tolled out the hour of eleven, that he began 
to feel the cold, and, with it, the reminder 
that he must again begin his rounds. ITis 
teeth now fairly chattered with cold, so that 
he could scarcely blow his trumpet or call out 
the hour, and he would have been glad to 
have entered a beer saloon to get himself 
warm. 

He was just passing through a lonely little 
side street, when he was suddenly confronted 


16 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

by a strange looking figure, a man with a 
black mask over his face, enveloped in a scarlet 
silk cloak, and covered with a round hat 
cocked up on one side, and fantastically 
trimmed with a bunch of lofty curling 
feathers. 

Philip tried to evade the mask, but the 
mark would not be evaded. For its owner 
stepped up boldly in front of him, and said : 

“ Hello! You are a jolly fellow! By 
Jove! I like your looks. Where are you 
going now ? Out with it ! ” 

“ I am going to Marien street,” Philip re- 
sponded, “ to call out the hour.” 

“ Capital ! ” exclaimed the mask. “ I must 
hear that myself. I will go with you. A 
man can ’t hear that every day. Come, step 
up, young man, and make yourself heard. 
But be sure you give us something fine, for 
we are not satisfied with any amateur work. 
Could n’t you strike up something cheerful, 
now, in the way of a song ? ” 

Philip could see at once that his would-be 
companion was a man of rank, and was a 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 17 

little deep in his cups, so he thought it best 
not to take offense, as he answered him po- 
litely : 

“ Sir, I might try something for you in a 
warm room, with a glass of wine ; hut, out 
here, it’s cold enough to freeze the music in 
the soul,” and stepping aside he passed along, 
turned into Marien street, sang out the hour 
and blew his horn. 

But the masker had followed him close be- 
hind, and when Philip was through he cried 
out : 

“Pah! That’s no work of art. I can do 
it better than that myself, you goose. Give 
me the horn. By Jove! I will sound you a 
blast that will fill your soul with wonder.” 

There was no escaping him ; so, at the next 
station, Philip let him take the horn, and the 
masker blew upon it and cried out the hour, 
all. according to rule. And so it went, all or- 
derly enough, the second, third, and fourth 
time. It seemed as if he never would get 
tired of his new office, and he was certainly 


9 


18 


A Sylvester Night’s i Adventure. 


inexhaustible in praise of his own skill. 
Philip laughed from the bottom of his heart 
at the curious taste of Ins' jovial companion, 
who had probably forsaken some jolly crowd, 
or strayed off from a ball, under the influence 
of a glass beyond his daily allowance. 

“ Oho ! ” suddenly he cried, “ I have a new 
idea. I have made up my mind to act as 
nightwatchman myself for a couple of hours. 
If I don’t do it now, I will never have that 
honor in my life. Here, give me your cloak 
and broad-brimmed hat, and take my domino. 
Go into that beer saloon and drink a glass or 
two of beer at my expense, and afterward 
come here, and we will change back again. 
Take this money with you. What do you 
say, my prince of trumps? ” 

Philip could not make up his mind to sur- 
render his trust. But the masker had made 
up his mind, and he would not yield, and so, 
as they stepped into a dark alley, the night- 
watchman was forced to capitulate at last. 
He was bitterly cold, and the prospect of a 
warm room and a glass of beer were very se- 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 19 

ductive. Bat Philip would only compromise 
on half an hour, that is, up to twelve o’clock. 
Por this length of time the young lord should 
act as his vicar, and at the end of it meet him 
at the door of the Gregory church with his 
cloak, hat, horn and staff, in exchange for the 
long red silk mantle, the mask, and the hat 
with feathers. So the bargain was closed 
with the naming of four additional streets in 
which the hours were to he called. 

“ Jewel of my heart!” cried the masker, 
ecstatic, “ I would kiss you if you had n’t a 
dirty face. But you shall not regret it. Meet 
me at twelve at the church door, and you 
shall have money enough for a feast to-mor- 
row. Huzza ! How I am nightwatehman 
myself.” 

The clothes were changed. The masker 
transformed himself into a nightwatehman. 
Philip tied on the mask, put the hat adorned 
with feathers and sparkling with jewels on 
his head, and wrapped himself up in the long 
scarlet cloak. He could not help fearing, 
however, as he turned to leave, that his sub- 


20 A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 

stitute might, in his excesses, do something 
to degrade the dignity of the nightwatch- 
man’s office. So he turned himself about 
again and said : “ I hope, sir, that you will 
not misuse my confidence, and do any kind 
of mischief. For you know, sir, that yon 
might bring me into great trouble, and even 
rob me of my place.” 

“ Why, what are you thinking of, you fool- 
ish fellow,” cried out the vicar ; “ do you 
think I do n’t know the duties of my office ? 
I will look out for that. I am as good a 
Christian as you are, I want you to know. 
Be off now, or I will bring this stick down on 
you. At twelve, remember, at the Gregory 
church, without fail. Adieu ! Now for the 
devil’s own time,” he said to himself. 

Boldly the new nightwatchman stepped 
on his way. Philip stepped up quicky, too, 
to reach the nearest warm saloon. 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


21 


III. 

T UST as lie was about to turn the corner 
^ of the royal palace, Philip felt himself 
touched on the arm hy a masked person, who 
had that moment stepped out of a carriage 
before the palace. Philip checked his steps, 
and asked, in a voice becoming a mask, 
namely, in a low, suppressed tone, “ Well, 
what is it?” 

“ May it please your grace,” answered the 
mask, “ lost in your thoughts, you have passed 
the door. Will not your Royal Highness — ?” 

“ What ! ” exclaimed Philip, laughing loud, 
“ I am no highness. What put that idea in 
your head ? ” 

The masker bowed reverently ; but, glancing 
furtively at the diamonds in Philip’s feathered 
hat, said : 

“I beg pardon if I have transgressed the 
privileges of the mask; but, in whatever garb 
you may conceal yourself, your noble form 
will always betray you. Will it please you 


22 A Sylvester Night's A dventure. 

to enter first. Shall you dance, if I may ven- 
ture to ask ? ” 

“ I ? Dance ? — No ! Do n’t you s*ee I am in 
my hoots?” 

“ Well, have a game, perhaps,” insisted the 
mask. 

“ Still less,” answered Philip, “ I have no 
money with me.” 

“Gracious heavens! take my money, or 
any thing else I am or have,” cried the mask, 
holding out to the astonished Philip a purse 
full of gold. 

“ But do you know who I am,” asked 
Philip, refusing the money. 

The mask whispered, with a gracious rev- 
erence : 

“You* are His Royal Highness, Prince Ju- 
lian.” 

Just at this moment Philip heard his sub- 
stitute call out the hour in a neighboring 
street, with a loud clear voice, in the most or- 
derly possible way: and now it dawned upon 
him what changes had been made. Prince 
Julian, well known as a rather wild, but ami- 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


23 


able and spirited young man, had conceived 
and carried out the fantastic idea of changing 
roles with him. 

“'Well,”' thought Philip, “if he plays the 
part of a nightwatchman so well, I will bring 
no disgrace upon his royal escutcheon, and 
show him that I can be a prince for half an 
hour. It will be his fault if I make any great 
blunder.” So he wrapped himself closer in 
his fiery talar, took the purse, stuck it in 
his breast, inquiring: “Masker, who are you? 
I will give you your money back to-morrow.” 

“ I am the chamberlain, Pilzow.” 

* “ Good. Proceed ! I follow you.” 

The chamberlain hastened to obey — hur- 
rying up the broad marble steps of the pal- 
ace, with Philip following trembling. They 
entered at once an immense saloon, ablaze 
with a thousand candles, whose rays were re- 
flected from many mirrors on the walls, and 
broken in the crystal prisms which swung in 
myriads from the ceiling chandeliers. Brill- 
iantly variegated throngs of maskers surged 
every-whcre about the room. There were 


24 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


sultans, Tyrolese maids, parrots of many 
hues, armored knights, nuns, jewelers, cu- 
pids, monks, fauns, Jews, Persians, Medes, 
in a crowd and confusion which so dazed 
and blinded poor Philip for a while, that he 
thought he had lost his senses. Such a scene 
as this surpassed his dreams. In the middle 
of the saloon hundreds of dancers floated 
about as if upon the harmonious waves of 
the music. 

Philip was now beginning to feel the com- 
fort of the soft warmth of the room ; hut he 
was still so overwhelmed, that he was scarcely 
able to nod his head in response to the recog- 
nitions which showered upon him from the 
masqeraders as they streamed along, some 
with reverence, some with respect, some with 
a degree of familiarity. 

“ Would it please you to have a hand at 
cards ? ” whispered the chamberlain, who now, 
as he stood in the light, appeared in the role 
of a Brahmin. 

“ Let me get thawed out first,” said Philip, 
“ I am frozen out of my senses.”* 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


25 


“ Then, a glass of hot punch/’ persisted the 
Brahmin, as he led him into a side room. The 
pseudo-prince was easily pursuaded to this re- 
freshment, and one glass after another was 
soon emptied. The punch was very good 
withal, and Philip soon felt its fire in his 
blood. 

“ How is it, Brahmin, that you do not dance 
to-night?” asked Philip, as they re-entered 
the saloon. 

The Brahmin sighed and shrugged his shoul- 
ders. “ Playing and dancing are all over with 
me,” he answered, “ my pleasure is done. The 
only one with whom I would like to dance — 
Countess Bonau — I thought she really loved 
me — imagine my despair — our houses were 
always as one — suddenly breaks of with me 
entirely.” 

“Is it possible?” cried Philip. u Why I 
have not heard of it before ! ” 

“ G-ood heavens ! you don’t know it. The 
whole city rings with it. For two weeks she 
has had nothing to do with me. And the 
3 


26 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

worst of it is, she will not even permit me to 
vindicate myself. She has already returned 
me three letters unopened. She is the sworn 
enemy of Baroness Iieizenthal. I had, my- 
self, begged her to avoid all intercourse with 
the baroness. Well, fancy my misfortune. 
When the queen’s mother got up the hunting 
party at Freudenwald, she appointed me— me 
of all others— as the baroness’ escort. What 
could I do? I did not dare to decline. Then, 
on the very birthday of my divine countess, 
I had most unexpectedly to be away. She 
heard of it all, of course — put the wrong con- 
struction upon it — and entirely misunderstood 
me.” 

“ Oh ! well, my dear Brahmin, now is your 
chance. Every thing will be pardoned in this 
general jubilee. Is not the countess here ? ” 

“ Don’t you see her over there on the left, 
the Carmelite, beside the three black domi- 
noes? See ! she has just raised her mask. Oh! 
my prince, will you not graciously intercede 
for me?” 

Philip, who was now thoroughly inspired 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 27 

by the punch, quickly concluded to himself 
that a good piece of work could be done here 
now, and forthwith he betook himself to the 
Carmelite. 

The countess regarded him awhile, earn- 
estly, and not without blushing, as he sat him- 
self, without ceremony, beside her. She was 
a handsome woman ; but still, Philip could not 
help thinking that his Rosie was a thousand 
times more beautiful to him. 

“ My dear Countess,” he stammered, and 
then fell into embarassment as she turned 
upon him with her clear, bright, fascinating 
eyes. 

“ Prince,” she said, “ an hour ago you were 
almost too bold.” 

“ Pair Countess,” replied the prince, “I am 
on that account, all the more serious now.” 

“ So much the better, as I shall not now 
need to flee from you.” 

“Fair Countess, allow me only one question : 
Are you doing real penance for your sins in 
this garb of a nun?” 

“ I have no sins to atone.” 


28 A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 

“ But some cruelties, Countess — to our friend, 
the Brahmin, for instance, who is standing 
over there forlorn, and forsaken of God and 
man.” 

The beautiful Carmelite cast her eyes down- 
ward and seemed restless. 

Don’t you know, fair lady, that the cham- 
berlain is as innocent as I am in that affair at 
the Freudenwald ? ” 

“ As you, Prince,” replied the countess, rais- 
ing her brows, “ why, what did you say to me 
only an hour ago ? ” 

u Yes, you are right, Countess, I was over 
bold, as you say/yourself. Now I declare to 
you solemnly, the chamberlain was forced by 
order of the queen’s mother to go to Freuden- 
wald against his will, and was obliged to act 
as cavalier to the baroness, whom he verily 
hates ” 

“ Hates ! ” bitterly and mockingly repeated 
the countess. 

“ Yes, hates and despises. Believe me, he 
has transgressed all the hounds of decency in 
his treatment of the baroness, and has even 

t 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 29 

brought himself into trouble by his conduct. 
I know it. And he did all that for you. He 
loves you, and you alone. And you — you re- 
pel him.” 

“ How does it happen, prince, that you take 
such a sudden interest in Pilzow ? It didn’t 
use to be so.” 

“It happens, Countess, because I didn’t 

know him right before, and still less did I 

know of the sorrow which you have caused 

him. I declare to you again, he is entirely 

innocent. You have nothing to forgive in 
• # 

him ; but he certainly has much in you.” 

“ Silence ! ” whispered the countess, with a 
brighter mien, “ we are being watched. Let 
us step aside.” Whereupon she adjusted her 
mask, arose, and taking the arm of the prince, 
pro tem ., traversed the saloon and entered an 
empty recess. Here she gave vent to many 
bitter accusations against the chamberlain, 
but it was plain to see that they were only 
the complaints of a jealous love. Suddenly 
she brushed away her tears, as the Brahmin, 
himself, evidently in deep agitation, came to- 


30 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


ward them. Profound silence ensued. Philip 
felt that there was nothing better to do, so he 
led the Brahmin up to the Carmelite, joined 
their hands without saying a word, and left 
them to their fate. He, himself, returned to 
the saloon. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


31 


XV. 

TJ E had taken hut a few steps, when he 
■*- was hastily accosted by a mameluke 
with : “ Ha ! Domino, it is good that I find 
you. Is the flower girl in this cabinet?” The 
mameluke here ran into the chamber and was 
out again in a minute. “ One word with you 
alone, if you please,” he said, as he led Philip 
to a vacant corner near a window. 

“ What do you want ? ” asked Philip. 

“ I implore you,” responded the mameluke, 
in a low hut alarming tone, “ tell me where is 
the flower girl ? ” 

“ Why, how does the flower girl concern 
me?” said Philip. 

“But it concerns me much,” said the mame- 
luke. Ilis voice was tremulous with sup- 
pressed emotion, and his restless manner be- 
trayed the deep anxiety of his soul. “ Me it 
concerns much,” he repeated, “ she is my 
wife. You are making me miserable. Prince, 


32 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


I implore you, I entreat you, do not drive me 
mad. Leave me my wife.” 

“ Most assuredly,” answered Philip, coldly. 
“ What have I to do with your wife ? ” 

“ Prince, Prince ! ” cried the mameluke, “ I 
will leave nothing undone, if it costs me my 
life. Do not deceive me longer. I have dis- 
covered every thing. Here, now, see, here is 
the note that this false creature pressed into 
your hand. You did not see it ; you dropped 
it in the crowd.” 

Philip took the note. On it was written 
with a lead pencil, in a feminine hand : 
“ Change your mask. Every one knows you. 
My husband is watching you. He does not 
know me yet. If you are good, I will reward 
you.” 

“ Idem,” muttered Philip, “ I assure you, 
sir, as true as I live, this note is not addressed 
to me. I care nothing at all about your 
wife.” 

“ Heaven and II — 11 ! Prince, do not drive 
me mad. Do you know to whom you are 
speaking. I am Marshal Blankenschwerd. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 33 

That you have pursued my wife is known to 
me ever since the last presentation at court.” 

“ Sir Marshal,” said Philip, “ I trust you 
will take no offense, but I assure you, you are 
blinded by jealousy. If you knew me right, 
you would know that I am not capable of 
any such nonsense. I give you my word of 
honor, sir, that your wife shall hear nothing 
further from me whatever.” 

“Are you in earnest, Prince? ” 

“ Perfectly.” 

“ Prove it.” 

“ What proof do you wish ? ” 

“You have hitherto dissuaded her, as I 
happen to know, from traveling to Poland 
with me on a visit to her relatives. Persuade 
her to it now.” 

“ With all my heart,” said Philip, “ if that 
will content you.” 

“Perfectly, your Royal Highness, perfectly. 
You will thus prevent an unspeakable misery 
that is otherwise unavoidable.” 

The mameluke now fell into a seemingly 
endless conversation about every thing and 


34 A Sylvester' Night’s Adventure. 

nothing. He was entreatening and threaten- 
ing and whining, until Philip at last began to 
think the man intended to discuss all the af- 
fairs of the universe — and, in fact, that seemed 
the man’s intention. Philip was very glad, 
at last, to he able to break away from him. 

He had scarcely entered the crowd, when 
he felt his arm pinched in a friendly way by 
a female masker, clad in deep mourning, who 
whispered : “ Where now, butterfly ? Have 
you no pity for the forsaken widow? ” 

Right gallantly Philip replied : “ Pretty 
widows find only too much pity. May I pre- 
sume to be counted among the comforters?” 

“ Why are you so disobliging? You have 
not yet changed your mask,” said the widow, 
as she drew him aside to talk with him pri- 
vately. “ Ho n’t you believe what I told you, 
that every one knows you here? ” 

“ Ho. They are still uncertain,” said Philip, 
“ and mistaken about me.” 

“ It is not so, Prince,” declared the widow, 
“ and if you do n’t change your garb at once 
I will leave you for the whole evening. I 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


35 


do n’t want to give my husband a chance to 
make a scene.” 

Now Philip knew with whom he had to 
deal. “ You. were the beautiful flower girl,” 
he said ; “ Have the roses faded so soon ? ” 

“What is there that does not fade?” she 
answered. “ See how false is the constancy 
of man. I saw you slip away with the Car- 
melite. Confess now your fickleness. You 
can not deny it.” 

“Hem,” interposed Philip, drily, “don’t 
accuse me, else I will accuse you.” 

“ For example, butterfly.” 

“ Well, for example, there is no more hon- 
est man than the marshal.” 

“ That is true, and I have done wrong, 
very wrong, in listening to you. I reproach 
myself bitterly. But, unfortunately, he has 
discovered our intimacy.” 

“ Only since the last presentation at court, 
my handsome widow.” 

“ Because you were then so reckless and 
imprudent, handsome butterfly.” 

“ Well, let’s make it all right again. Let 


36 A Sylvester Night's Adventure 

ns separate. I esteem the marshal highly. I 
would not like to see him suffer on my ac- 
count.” 

The widow looked at him perfectly speech- 
less. 

“ If you have really any regard for me,” 
continued Philip, “ you will take a trip to 
Poland with the marshal, to visit your rela- 
tives. It is better that we should not see 
each other so much. A handsome woman is 
beautiful ; hut a true, virtuous woman is 
much more beautiful.” 

“ Prince ! ” almost shrieked the astounded 
marshaless, “ are you in earnest ? Have you 
ever loved me, or have you always lied ? ” 

“ Listen,” said Philip : “ I am an investi- 
gator of a quite peculiar kind. I seek virtue 
and purity among women, and find them so 
seldom. The truest and purest can alone 
hold me — therefore no one holds me. But, 
no ! stop, I must not tell a lie. One does 
hold me ; but I am sorry to say, madarne mar- 
chioness, you are not the one.” 

“ You are in a horrible mood, Prince,” said 


A Sylvester Wight’s Adventure. 37 

the widow, and the quivering of her voice, 
and the heaving of her bosom, betrayed her 
real emotions. 

“ Yo,” answered Philip, “ I am, as true as I 
live, in the sincerest mood in the world. I 
would like to undo a silly piece of work. 
I have already said so to your husband.” 

“What!” cried the widow, astounded. 
“You have revealed every thing to the 
marshal ? ” 

“Well, no, not every thing; only what I 
knew,” said Philip. 

The widow began to show signs of violent 
agitation. She wrung her hands. Finally 
she asked : “ Where is my husband ? ” 

Philip pointed to the mameluke, who at 
that moment was approaching them with long 
strides. 

“ Prince,” said the widow, with a tone of 
unspeakable scorn; “Prince, God may for- 
give you, hut I never will. I never believed 
the heart of man capable of such atrocity. 
You are a traitor. My husband is an honest 
man in the garb of a mameluke. You are a 


38 A 'Sylvester Night's Adventure . 

mameluke in the garb of an honest man. 
You will never see me again in this world.” 

"With these words she 'quickly and proudly 
turned from him, coolly went up to the 
mameluke, and was soon lost with him in the 
crowd, engaged in very earnest conversation. 

Philip laughed secretly, as he said to him- 
self : “ My substitute, the nightwatchman, 
may get out of this the best way he can. I 
am not playing my role in his name so badly. 
If he will only continue as honorably to-mor- 
row as I have begun to-day.” 

He now stepped up to the dancers, and ob- 
served with pleasure the beautiful Carmelite 
in the ranks by the side of her overjoyed 
Brahmin, who was scarcely conscious of the 
presence of the fiery domino when he waved 
him a kiss of the hand, signifying to him in 
pantomime the height of his bliss. 

Philip thought to himself : “ What a pity it 
is that I am not prince for life. The people 
should soon all be contented with me. There 
is nothing in the world easier than to be a 
prince. He can accomplish more with one 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 39 

« 

word than the best advocate with a long 
speech. He has the privilege of walking per- 
fectly straight, and of speaking perfectly free. 
Ah! hut if I was prince, what would become 
of my Rosie ? I should lose her sure. Ho, 
I do not wish to be a prince.” 

Glancing at the clock with this thought, 
he saw that it was half past eleven. Here- 
upon the mameluke came rushing up to him, 
drew him aside, and gave him a paper. 
“Prince,” he said, “I could fall at your feet 
to thank you for what you have done. I am 
reconciled with my wife. You broke her 
heart; but it is well that it is so. She will 
make the journey with me. We start to- 
night for Poland. Farewell. Wherever I 
may be I am at your service, even with my 
life. I can not thank you as I would. 
Adieu.” 

“ Hold ! ” cried Philip, as the marshal had 
quickly turned to go, “ What am I to do with 
this paper ? ” 

“ It is a debt of honor,” the marshal an- 


40 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


swered, “ which I contracted at play last week. 
I had almost forgotten it in my haste to get 
away. I have made it payable to your order. 
Adieu.” 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


41 


Y. 



HILIP opened the paper, and saw in it 


something about five thousand guldens, 
lie stuck it in his pocket with a sigh, saying 
to himself: “What a pity that I am not a 
prince.” 

At this moment some one whispered in his 
ear: “ Your Royal Highness, we are both be- 
trayed. I shall shoot myself to-night.” 

Philip looked at his interlocutor with big 
eyes, and saw a negro. 

“ What is the matter with you, my friend?” 
asked Philip, quite coolly. 

“I am Colonel Halt,” whispered the negro. 
“The unhappy marchioness has told every 
thing to Duke Hermann, and he is going about 
now spitting fire and flames against us both.” 

“Against me ? ” interposed Philip. 

“ Why, certainly,” said the negro, wonder- 
ingly. “ The king knows all about it. He 
will probably have me arrested to-night, and 


4 


42 A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 

sent off to the fort to-morrow. But I will 
hang myself sooner than go.” 

“ What good will that do ?” said Philip. 

“ Do you think I could live in this disgrace? 
No ; I am lost. The duke will demand rep- 
aration in blood. His back must be still blue 
from the dreadful thrashing I gave him. I 
am surely lost, and the baker girl, too. But 
I will jump off* the bridge and drown myself 
this night.” 

“ God forbid ! ” said Philip. “ What in the 
world have you and the baker girl to do 
with it ? ” 

“ It pleases your Boyal Highness to jest, 
while I am in despair. Might I not beg of 
you to grant me only a few words in private?” 

Philip followed the negro into an empty 
side apartment, where a few candles cast a 
feeble glimmer about the room. The negro 
threw himself upon a sofa, as if paralyzed in 
every sense, and sighed deeply from a full 
heart. Philip found some refreshments upon 
a table, with some wine, of which he calmly 
proceeded to partake. 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 43 

“ I can not understand how your Royal High- 
ness can take this accursed affair so coolly,” 
said the negro. “If only that rascal, that 
Neapolitan Salmon i, who played the role of 
the false priest, were here. The fellow fairly 
bristled with orders from top to toe, and he 
might, with his cunning, have helped us out 
of this scrape. But he has cleared out.” 

“ So much the better,” said Philip, as he 
filled another glass. “ Lay all the blame on 
his shoulders, since he is gone.” 

“ IIow, lay all the blame on him ? The 
duke knows very well that you and I, the 
marchioness, and the baker girl, were all in the 
plot, to bleed him for his superstition. He 
knows that you bribed Salmoni to raise the 
ghost; that I trained the baker girl, with 
whom he was in love, to lead him into the 
scrape ; and that I was the ghost that threw 
him down and thrashed him to within an inch 
of his life. If I had only not carried the joke 
quite so far! But I wanted to beat out of 
him his love for my girl. It is a miserable 
piece of business. I shall take poison.” 


44 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


“ Take rather a glass of wine ; it is really 
good,” said Philip, as he hit into a fresh tart 
with great relish. “ Anyhow I must say to 
you, frankly, my dear Colonel, that, for a col- 
onel, you are not behaving with becoming 
courage, when you talk of shooting, drown- 
ing, poisoning, and hanging yourself — any 
one of which would he enough — on account 
of a silly story. In the second place, I am 
free to say to you that I can not quite get 
the straight of your story, out of all your 
chatter.” 

“ Pardon me, your Royal Highness, I am so 
confused that I don’t know which end is my 
head. But the duke’s valet — an old friend of 
mine — has just told me that the marchioness, 
in great rage, as if pursued by the devil him- 
self, went to the duke a few minutes ago, and 
told him that Prince Julian had got up the 
whole farce that was played on him at the ba- 
ker’s, and that the prince was opposed to the 
duke’s marrying his sister. c I was, myself, 
the witch whom you saw,’ she said to him, 
‘and I was there as the representative of the 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 45 

princess, to be witness of jour credulity. 
Prince Julian has in his possession the list of 
your sins which you threw into the cave whence 
you were to draw so much treasure, and he 
has also the contract you signed with the ba- 
ker girl to the effect that, after your marriage 
with the princess, you would take her as your 
mistress, and give her a title of nobility. And 
the ghost that thrashed you so soundly was 
Colonel Kalt, an agent of Prince Julian. 
Now you know why your marriage has failed. 
Give up all hope of it. You wait in vain.’ 
That is what the marchioness said to the duke, 
and then disappeared before he could utter a 
word.” 

“ The deuce ! ” said Philip, shaking his head 
and muttering : “ What a nice story ! The 
commonest people in the city would be 
ashamed of such common tricks. Is there no 
end to such deviltry ? ” 

“Yo!” cried the colonel, springing from 
his seat, “ more devilish, vile conduct than 
that of the marchioness is not to be imagined. 


46 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


That woman must be a perfect fury. Merciful 
Prince,, will you not save me?” 

“ Where is the duke ? ” asked Philip. 

“ The valet said he jumped from his chair, 
when he heard the story, and cried out: ‘I 
shall go at once to the king!’ nothing more. 
Just think for a moment; if he should go to 
the king and paint this story in his own 
colors.” 

“ Is the king here ? ” 

“ Certainly. He is playing in the other 
room, with the archbishop and Y Hombre, the 
minister of police.” 

Philip strode through the room with long 
steps. Here was immediate need of good 
counsel. 

“ Save me, oh ! save me, your Poyal High- 
ness. Your own honor is at stake. It will be 
very easy for you. I am ready for any thing. 
I shall pack up at once, and, at a word from 
you, be over the border to-morrow. I await 
your orders in the morning, as to what I shall 
do” — and with these words the negro van- 
ished. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


47 


VI. 

^TT is high time, Philip, that you resume 
-*■ your own avocation as nightwatchman,” 
Philip thought to himself. “ You are mix- 
ing both yourself and your substitute in a dia- 
bolical mess, from which neither your nor his 
shrewdness will help you to get out. And so, 
this is the difference between a nightwateh 
and a prince. I wouldn’t turn my hand 
over for a change. Great goodness ! how 
many acts of folly take place among the gods 
of this earth, here under the heaven of this 
little court, of which we, with our watch- 
horns and work-stools, our shovels and lasts, 
never even dream ! We fancy that these little 
gods live lives like the angels, without sin and 
without care. Yice business this ! I have 
had more mischief to correct here in a quarter 
of an hour, than I ever committed in all my 
life.” 

“ So solitary, my Prince,” whispered a voice 
behind him. “I consider myself fortunate to 


48 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

catch your Royal Highness alone for a mo- 
ment.” 

Philip looked about him. The voice be- 
longed to a miner, decked in gold, and silks, 
and jewels. 

“ What do you wish? ” asked Philip. 

“ Only a moment’s gracious attention,” an- 
swered the miner. “ It is very urgent, and the 
result will he, probably, very pleasant to you 
to know.” 

“ Who are you, masker? ” if I may ask. 

“ Count Bodenlos, the minister of finance, 
at your service, your Royal Highness,” an- 
swered the miner, as he raised his mask to 
show a face which, with its little red eyes and 
big, coppery nose, looked like another mask. 

“ Well, Sir Count, what is it ? ” asked Philip. 

“ May I speak openly ? I have presented 
myself three times, already, at your Royal 
Highness, and have not yet been vouchsafed 
the honor of an interview. And yet — God is 
my witness — no one in the whole court takes 
such a deep interest in your welfare as I do.” 


A Sylvester Night’’ s Adventure. 


49 


“ Thanks ! Sir Count/’ interposed Philip, 
what is it, then, now? Be pleased to make it 
short.” 

“ May I speak of the broker, Abraham 
Levi ? ” asked the miner. 

“ As much as you please.” 

“He came to me about the fifty thousand 
guldens which you owe him. He even threat- 
ens to go to the king. And you remember 
what the king said when he ordered me to 
pay your last debts?” 

“ Can ’t the people wait? ” asked Philip. 

“ They are as impatient as the Goldschmidt 
Brothers, who demand their seventy-five thou- 
sand guldens.” 

“Oh! well; it’s all the same. If they 
won’t wait, I must .” 

“Ho desperate conclusions, Your Boyal 
Highness,” interrupted the minister, “ I am 
in position to make every thing all right, 
if .” 

“ Well, if? ” 

“If you will only condescend to listen to 

5 


50 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


me a moment, I hope to be able to cover 
all your debts without much trouble. The 
bouse of Abraham Levi has bought in such 
immense quantities of grain as to greatly in- 
creases its price. A law prohibiting the ex- 
port of grain to neighboring states will 
quickly raise it two or three times as much 
more. Then, if we grant certain privileges 
to the bouse of Levi, every thing will be all 
right : Levi wipes out the debt, assumes the 
payment of the seventy-five thousand guldens, 
and I give you their receipts. But every 
thing depends on my remaining at the head 
of the state finances a few years longer. 
Should Baron Grcifensack succeed in dis- 
placing me, I would he powerless. If your 
Highness would forsake the Greifensack 
party, our game is won. Personally, I am 
entirely indifferent whether I remain in office 
or not, for I fairly yearn for rest. But I can 
not he indifferent to the affairs of your Royal 
Highness. If I can ’t pack the cards as I 
wish, as I have said, I have lost the game.” 

Philip was, for some time, at a loss to 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 51 

respond to this statement. Finally, as the 
minister, awaiting an answer, drew out his 
diamond snuff-box and took a pinch, Philip 
observed: “If I understand you right, Sir 
Count, you would let the state starve a little 
that I might get my debts paid. Have you 
considered how much misery you would 
cause ? And would the king consent to it ? ” 

“ If I can remain at the head of affairs, 
your Royal Highness can leave all that to me. 
So soon as the price of the necessities of life 
runs up, the king will, himself, put an em- 
bargo on its exportation, or at least will in- 
vest its removal with a heavy tax. Then a 
permit can be issued to the house of Levi to 
export, say ten sacks, and they will send out 
a hundred. There is nothing easier. But, as 
I have said, if Greifensack gets in his oar, 
we can do nothing. Years would have to 
lapse before he could understand such a 
transaction. All this time he would be com- 
pelled to play the role of a honest man, in 
order that he might later squeeze the king 
and state so much the harder. But he must 


52 A Sylvester Night's Adventure , 

know his ground first. There is n’t a meaner 
Jew in the land than Greifensack. Ilis ava- 
rice fairly stinks.” 

“ Fine prospects ! ” said Philip. u About how 
long must a minister of finance he at his post 
before he can begin to use the knife on the 
people for his own and our benefit.” 

“ Oh ! well, if he is pretty shrewd, he can 
do a good deal in a year.” 

“ Then the king ought to be advised,” said 
Philip, “ to change his minister every twelve 
months, to be always honestly served.” 

“ I trust you know, your Royal Highness, 
that since I have been entrusted with the 
charge of things, the king and the court 
have lost nothing.” 

“ I believe you, indeed,” responded Philip ; 
“ but the poor people probably so much the 
more. I know that the taxes and imposts are 
now almost unbearable. You should have a 
little more pity on us.” 

“ On us! Don’t I do everything for the 
court ? ” 

“ No — I mean, more pity for the people.” 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 53 

“ My Prince, I know what interpretation to 
put upon your words. The king and his 
noble family are the people whom I serve. 
What the world calls the people is not to be 
considered. The land is the king’s property, 
and the people are only so far of regard inas- 
much as they, like other zeros which follow 
the main figures, swell the value of them. But 
this is not the occasion for a discussion of 
that worn out theme — the people’s rights. 
May I beg you to decide if I am to pay your 
debts in the way I have indicated?” 

“Well, I do decide at once: No ! No ! 
Never! at the cost of misery to over a hun- 
dred thousand poor families ! ” 

“ Why, your Highness, it is only at the cost 
of the house of Levi. Suppose that I should 
compel the house to add fifty thousand- guld- 
ens cash to your receipts? I believe I could 
make it. The house will gain so much by 
the operation that .” 

“ That you will probably get a trifle, too, 
Sir Count.” 

“Your Highness is pleased to jest. I get 


54 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


nothing; I am only intensely anxious to re- 
store your honor. 5 ’ 

“ How kind you are . 55 

“ So I may hope, my Prince ? 55 
• “ Sir Count, I will clo whatever is right. Do 
you do your duty . 55 

“ My duty is to serve you. I will send for 
Levi to-morrow, conclude the contract with 
him, and have the honor to deliver to your 
Highness all the receipts, and the fifty thou- 
sand cash besides . 55 

“ Go — I wish to hear no more . 55 

“And your Highness will again lend me 
your favor? For, if I may not remain in the 
ministry, I could make no contract with Abra- 
ham Levi, or — 55 

“I wish you, and your ministry, and your 
Abraham Levi, were all three at Blocksberg. 
How listen to me. If any cornering of grain 
occurs, or any increase in the price of bread, 
and your Jew house refuses to sell at cost 
price, I will go at once to the king, and tell 
him all your rascalities; and I will help him 
drive you, and Abraham Levi, out of the 


A. Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 


55 


land. Now you can rely on that, for I will 
keep my word.” 

Philip turned about and walked hack into 
the saloon, leaving the minister of finance 
standing fixed in the same place like a man 
suddenly petrified. 


56 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


VII. * 

^117 HEN will it please your Highness to 
* * order the carriage?” whispered a 
voice behind him, as he strolled in among the 
maskers. It was a stout Hutch merchant, 
with a big wig, that had accosted him. 

“ I shall not ride out.” 

“ But it is past half past eleven already, 
Prince. The pretty songstress is waiting for 
you, she is growing weary.” 

“ Well, let her sing something.” 

“ How, Prince, have you changed your 
mind?” Ho you propose to disappoint the 
charming Rollina, whom you have for two 
months sighed for in vain ? It was your 
note that you sent by me this morning with 
the diamond watch, that accomplished this 
miracle for you. The proud prude had to 
yield at last. And you were at noon so ex- 
cited about it, and are now suddenly as cold 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 57 

as ice. What has happened to you ? I can 
not understand such a chauge.” 

“ That’s nothing to me.” 

“ But you ordered me to accompany you at 
half past eleven. Have you made other en- 
gagements ? ” 

“ Certainly.” 

“ Supper with Countess Born, perhaps? 
She has not appeared at the ball; at least, I 
can find no trace of her anywhere. I would 
know her among a thousand, by her gait, and 
by the peculiar way she carries her pretty 
head. Is it she, Prince ?” 

“And if it were, do I need to tell you of it? ” 

“ Oh ! I understand, and am silent. But 
won’t you at least let Fraulein Bollina know 
that you can not come ? ” 

“If she made me sigh for her for two 
months, let her now sigh as long for me. I 
shall not go.” 

“And the magnificent necklace you sent her 
as a New-year’s gift — shall that all go for 
nothing, too ? ” 

“ So far as I am concerned, certainly.” 


58 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 


“ Will you break off with her altogether, 
your Highness. 

“ I never was tied to her.” 

“ Well, then, Prince, I will venture to speak 
openly : I may as well say it, as you perhaps 
know it already anyhow, at least I suspect 
you do from this sudden change of mind. It 
was only your passion for her that prevented 
me from speaking of it before. You are be- 
trayed.” 

“ By whom ? 

“ By the cunning opera singer. You would 
have shared her favors with a Jew.” 

“ With a Jew ! ” 

“ Yes, \yith the son of Abraham Levi.” 

“ Is that rogue every-whcre ? ” 

“ So, you have not heard of it yet? Well, 
I will tell you the sacred truth. If your High- 
ness had not appeared on the scene, the Jew 
was to have openly supported the frail beauty. 
I am only sorry about the watch.” 

“ Hot I.” 

“ She ought to have had the handle of a 
broom.” 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 59 

“ Many a one is not rewarded according to 
merit.” 

“ Too true, your Royal Highness, and I know 
an instance of it now. For I have lately dis- 
covered a maiden — Oh ! Prince, the whole 
city, the entire state has nothing liner or more 
attractive. But very few people know of this 
heavenly creature yet. Why, what is Rodina 
compared to her. She is an old Denner witch. 
Listen — this one is tall, slender, and grace- 
full as a reed. Her color tints her skin like 
sunset on the snow. Her eyes glisten like the 
sun, and she has heavy golden hair — in fact I 
never saw any thing so fine in all my life. 
But who cares for this charming Venus ? She 
is a real goddess of love in a peasant’s hut. 
But she is an object worthy of pursuit.” 

“ So, a peasant maid ? ” 

“Yes, only^a grisette, but — no, you must 
see her for yourself, and you will catch fire. 
What does my picture and praise amount to? 
Whatever you may have known of beauty in 
your most ecstatic dreams, is embodied in this 
little piece of nature, and withal is the sweet- 


60 A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 

est, tenderest, holiest, simplicity. She is sel- 
dom to be seen. She is nearly always with 
her mother. But I know her seat in church, 
and her Sunday walk with her mother at the 
Ulm gate. And I have already discovered 
that a handsome young fellow, a gardener, is 
paying attention to her. But he can never 
marry her, for he is a poor devil, and the girl 
has nothing either. The mother is the widow 
of a linen-draper who died of consumption.” 

“ What is the mother’s name?” 

“She is the widow Bittner, of Milk-lane; 
and her daughter, who is as beautiful as 
a rose, is called, as she should be, Rosie.” 

At the mention of this name Philip felt 
cold and hot alternately. He could scarcely 
restrain himself from knocking the fellow in 
the head with his fist. “Are you sent by 
the devil?” was all he could say. 

“Perhaps,” said the Hollander; “I have 
already made every inquiry. But you must 
first see the pretty thing yourself. Or, how is 
it, my Prince, has your sharp sight already 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 61 

discovered the costly pearl? Do you really 
know her?” 

“ Yes, I know her.” 

“So much the better. Have I then said 
too much in praise of her? Don’t you quite 
agree with me? She shall not escape us. 
We will go together to her mother. You 
play the humanitarian. You know of her 
poverty and do n’t like to see suffering, you 
know. Inquire kindly concerning the cir- 
cumstances of the good woman ; make her a 
present; call again; continue to show sym- 
pathy; and thus get to know Rosie well. 

The rest will follow easily enough. The 
goose of a gardener will he quieted without 
trouble : a dozen or so solid dollars will likely 
suffice.” 

Philip felt a volcano surging in his breast. 
“Thunder and lightning!” he fairly yelled. 

“ Should that sneak of a gardener give us 
any trouble,” interrupted the Hollander, “you 
can leave him to me. If your Royal High- 
ness will only use your influence to get me 
the position of chamberlain, the maid is yours. 


62 A Sylvester Niyht’s Adventure. 

I will stick the gardener in the army, and 
send him off with the soldiers, to fight for 
his country. Meantime, you will be master 
of the field. I have heard that she clings 
to the fellow with all the fidelity of these 
common people. It won’t he an easy task, 
at first, to get the prejudices of the rabble 
out of her head; hut I will give her a little 
training.” 

“And I will break your neck, if you do.” 

“You are too kind. But only on the con- 
dition that you address the king for me, to 
secure the keys of the* chamberlain .” 

“ Sir, I wish I could .” 

“Oh! no compliments, graciousPrince. You 
know every moment of my time is devoted to 
your service. Had I even dreamed that you 
knew this sweet creature; that you were in 
any way pleased with her; I could have se- 
cured her for you long ago.” 

“Hot another word!” exclaimed Philip, 
raging as fiercely as he dared, but in a low 
voice, not to be discovered and betrayed by 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


63 


tlie swarm of reveling dancers watching 
him. “Not another word ! ” 

“ No ! ” said the Hollander, gleefully rub- 
bing his hands, “deeds now! To-morrow 
morning early the mining of the fortress will 
begin. Thenjrou advance. You are used to 
conquer. The skirmishing will soon be over. 
I will dispose of the gardener myself. The 
mother will desert to your golden colors. 
Then for the storming of the citadel itself!” 

Philip could restrain himself no longer. 
Tie seized the Hollander by the arm in his 
iron grasp, and said, “ Sir, if your pre- 
sume .” 

“ For God’s sake, my Lord, moderate your 
joy. I shall cry out. You are crushing my 
arm.” 

“If you presume,” Philip continued, “to 
pursue this innocent girl, I will crush every 
bone in your body, as true as you live.” 

“ Well, all right,” exclaimed the Hollander, 
in accents of pain, “ only please let go my 
arm.” 

“ If I ever find you spying after this maiden, 


64 


A Sylvester flight's Adventure. 


even in the vicinity of her street, you are a 
dead man hy my hand : now, mark that 
down.” 

The Hollander was thoroughly stupefied. 

“Your Royal Highness,” he said, trem- 
bling, “ I had no idea that you loved this 
handsome girl in earnest.” 

“ So earnestly that I intend to let the whole 
world know it.” 

“ And she loves you ! ” 

“What is that to you? I)o you never 
mention her to me again, and do you never 
allow yourself again to think of her — for 
your very thoughts defile her. How, you 
understand me. Take yourself off.” 

Philip turned his back on him with these 
words, and the Hollander went off, scratching 
his head behind his ears. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


65 


VIII. 

TIST all this time Philip’s substitute was play- 
-**- iug his part, as nightwatch on the streets. 
It is, of course, needless to say, what every one 
knows, that this substitute was really no other 
than Prince Julian, who, a little too full of 
wine, had caught at the curious freak of dab- 
bling in the duties of the nightwatch. 

So soon as he left Philip, he cried the hours 
and blew his horn from one corner to another 
in high glee, adding many a comic note to his 
song, and paying less and less attention to 
the prescribed places where his trust was to be 
performed. As he was thinking up a new 
verse, a door opened at the house at his side, 
and a neatly clad maiden stepped out, beck- 
oned to him with an inviting “hist! hist!” 
and quickly withdrew into the shadow of the 
vestibule. 

The prince let his verse go, and at once took 

6 


66 A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 

after the enticing figure. A soft hand seized 
him in the darkness, and a sweet voice whis- 
pered: “Good evening, dear Philip! speak 
low, so no one can hear ns. I have slipped 
away from the rest for a moment, to greet 
you as you came by. Are you happy?” 

“ Happy as a god, you sweet angel,” said 
Julian. “ Who could be unhappy with you ? ” 
“ Philip, I have something nice to tell you. 
You are to dine with us to-morrow evening; 
mother says you may. Will you come ? ” 

“ Every evening, every evening,” cried 
Julian, “ as long as I may. I wish I could he 
with you, or you with me, all the time until 
the end of the world. That would be heaven.” 

“Listen, Philip. In half an hour I will he at 
the Gregory church door. You are to take me 
home, you know. I will wait for you. You 
won’t fail, will you, Philip? And don’t let 
me wait too long. Then we can have a stroll 
through the streets. How go, or we will he 
found out.” 

She turned to go, hut Julian caught her in 
his arms. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


67 


“ Would you leave me so coldly?” he asked, 
as he pressed a kiss upon her lips. 

Rosie did not know what to make of this 
boldness in Philip. He was always so modest 
and considerate that he had never ventured 
more than to kiss her hand, save once, and 
that was when her mother had forbidden them 
ever to have any thing more to do with each 
other again. That kiss was given and taken 
with a feeling of the deepest love, and at the 
same time of the deepest pain. Since then 
he had never dared to do such a thing. So 
Rosie bristled up at once ; but Philip was so 
impetuous, that her resistance was of no avail 
in the face of the danger of detection from 
struggle or outcry. So, as the readiest evasion, 
she had to return the kiss, with : 

“ Philip, now go ! ” 

Rut he would not go — on the contrary he 
staid, saying : 

“ I would be a fool to go. Do you think I 
love my watch-horn better than you? No^ 
sweet, I prefer to stay.” 


68 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


“ But, Philip,” said Rosie, in distress, “you 
know it is not right.” 

“ Why not, you little goose ? Is kissing 
forbidden in the ten commandments ? ” 

“ Yes,” said Rosie : “ if we could have each 
other, it would be another thing.” 

“ Have each other. Why, you could brave 
me every day, if you wished.” 

“ Why, Philip, how can you talk like that ; 
you know we can not even think of such a 
thing.” 

“ But, I tell you, I think of it in deep earn- 
est: if you would only agree to it.” 

“ Philip, have you been drinking ? If I 
agree to it ! Go away, you insult me. Philip, 
listen, I dreamed of you last night.” 

“ What, sweet ? ” 

“ You won a prize in the lottery, Philip. 
We had such a good time. You bought a 
splendid garden. There was no garden like 
it in the city, or out of it. We had everything 
in it. Flowers on flowers like Paradise, and 
great beds of the finest plants, and trees full 
of fruits. I was so sorry when I woke up 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 69 

and found it was only a dream. Tell me, 
Philip, did you buy a ticket in the lottery? 
Oh ! Philip, did } 7 ou win any thing? The 
drawing was to-day, you know.” 

“ Oh ! you sweet child, if I could only win 
the big prize in you, who knows what would 
happen ! How much would I have to win to 
get you ?” 

“ If you could only be so lucky as to win a 
thousand guldens. Then you could buy a 
nice garden.” 

“ A thousand guldens ! and if more yet ? ” 

“ Oh ! Philip, what do you say ? Is it true ? 
Ho! you wouldn’t deceive me, Philip, like 
my dream ! You did try, and won. Tell me 
all about it.” 

“As much as you wish.” 

Oh God ! cried Rosie, as intoxicated with 
joy she fell into his arms and kissed him again 
and again. At last, lifting up her face radiant 
with delight, she asked : 

“ Did you say more than a thousand gul- 
dens, Philip ? and do you think they will give 
you all that money ? ” 


70 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

The prince, in returning her kisses, quite for- 
got to answer her. It seemed so strange to 
him to hold this loving, pure creature in his 
arms. Her caresses did not belong to him, he 
knew; hut he would so gladly have had them 
for himself. 

“Answer, answer,” cried Rosie, impatiently ; 
“ will they give you all this money ? ” 

“ I have it already ; and if it will make you 
happy, I will give it to you.” 

“ How, Philip, you have it in your pocket? ” 
* The prince took out his purse, heavy with 
the gold he had put in it for his game at cards. 
“ Take it and keep it, my love,” he said, as he 
put it in her hand, and at the same time steal- 
ing another kiss. “ How, will you remain true 
to me ? ” 

“Ho, Philip, not for your gold, if you are 
not my Philip, true to me.” 

“And if I would put as much, more to it, and 
were not your true Philip? ” 

“ I would throw your money at your feet,” 
said Rosie, “ and make you my neatest curtsy.” 

Here the door above was suddenly opened. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


71 


Female voices and laughter sounded through. 
Rays of light fell upon the steps. Rosie 
started, frightened, and hastily whispered : 
“At the church door in half an hour,” and 
sprang up the steps. 

The prince was again in darkness He 
stepped to the street, and took a survey of 
the house and the illuminated windows. The 
sudden separation was very unpleasant. Hot 
that he cared for the purse, hut that he had 
not been able to get a glimpse of the unknown 
maiden’s face ; that he did not even know her 
name; worst of all, he wondered if she would 
not carry out her threat, and throw the money 
at his feet when she learned that he was not 
her true lover. Rut he consoled himself with 
the thought that he should meet her again at 
the church door. It was the very place, by 
the way, where the nightwatehman was to 
meet him. Soon he came to know that it was 
to the nightwatehman that he owed this happy 
adventure. 


72 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 


IX. 



HETHER it was tlie cold of the Hew- 


* * year’s night, or the additional stim- 
ulus of his late adventure, the spirit of the 
wine, for some reason or other, continued to 
make itself felt, and soon got the upper 
hand of the nightwatchman of royal blood. 

In the midst of a crowd of promenaders, 
on the corner of a street, he drew out his 
horn and blew upon it with such force as to 
make all the women shriek with fright, and 
to bring the men to a sudden stand. Here- 
upon he called out the hour, in stentorian 
tones, and began to sing a song : 


“ I sing you a ditty 
Of this strange old city; 

It is losing its custpms and trades: 
And even its girls, 

In white or brown curls, 

All meet with the fate of old maids. 
They primp all their lives — 

No one will take them for wives — 
Oh! what a aad lot of old maids!” 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 73 

“ What a shame ! ” cried out a lot of fe- 
male voices ; “ and what a lie, besides ! ” 

But some of the men laughed loud and 
long. “ Da capo ! ” cried one of the merriest 
of the crowd. “ Bravo ! nightwatcli,” shouted 
others. 

“ What do you mean, sir, by insulting our 
women on the open streets?” said a young 
lieutenant, with a pretty girl on his arm. 

“ The nightwatcli tells the truth,” a sturdy 
young miller answered for him, “ and you 
arc a living proof of it now, sir lieutenant. 
Aha ! my little maiden, you know me, don’t 
you? It is a nice business when a woman, 
who is engaged to be married, is running 
about the streets at night with other men. 
To-morrow I will tell your mother of this. 
I do n’t want any more to do with you.” 

The maiden hid her face, in her veil, and 
twitched the arm of the young officer as a 
sign for him to move on. But the lieutenant, 
as a son of Mars, could not, with honor, take 
such a dismissal from a miller. He swore a 

7 


74 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


lot of loud oaths; and, as the miller took no 
notice of them, finally raised his cane to 
strike him. But, all at once, a couple of 
stout Spanish sticks, in the hands of some 
working-men, were held threateningly over 
him. 

“ Sir,” said a broad-shouldered beer brewer, 
“ let there be no quarrel here about this bad 
girl. I know the miller; he is an honest 
man. He is in the right ; and the night- 
watch is right, too, as true as I live. An 
honest citizen and tradesman can’t take a 
woman in our city for a wife any more. 
They all want to marry above their places. 
Instead of knitting stockings, they read nov- 
els; and instead of attending to their kitch- 
ens and cellars, they all run to the theaters 
and concerts. Every thing in their homes is 
out of order, while they run about dressed up 
like princesses. And they can bring their 
husbands nothing but a couple of dresses, 
ribbons and laces, novels, laziness, and in- 
trigue. I speak from experience, I do. If 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


75 


our women were not all demoralized, I would 
have been married myself long ago.” 

The crowd, which had by this time ga- 
thered about, laughed loud and shrill. 

The lieutenant held out his cane before the 
two sticks, saying, with great vexation : “ To 
think that I should have to listen to this ser- 
mon from this gang of tradesmen ! ” 

“ What ! gang of tradesmen ! ” cried out a 
nailsmith, he who held the second stick : 
“ You titled loafers, whom we have to sup- 
port with our taxes and duties — you talk of a 
gang of tradesmen ! You dissolute rascals 
are responsible for all the misfortunes we 
have to suffer in our homes. There wouldn’t 
he half as many honest girls unmarried, if 
you had to work or beg, like the rest of us.” 

Several young officers sprang forward at 
this sally; hut the crowd of tradesmen and 
■workingmen gathered also in force. The 
hoys around began to throw snowballs, as 
their part of the general fracas. The first 
ball hit the lieutenant on the nose. He took 


76 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

it as the first blow, and began to swing bis 
cane ; and now there was a general riot. 

The prince, who had heard only the begin- 
ning of this contest, had long since left for 
another street, laughing with good humor, 
and entirely unmindful of the consequences 
of his provoking song. He soon reached the 
palace of the minister of finance, the same 
Bodenlos, with whom he was not in very 
good favor, as Philip had already learned. 
There were lights in every window. The 
wife of the minister was holding a grand re- 
ception. Julian posted himself opposite the 
palace and gave a loud blast from his horn. 
He was now in a full satirical vein, and he 
proposed to indulge it at its best. Several 
ladies and gentlemen, attracted by the unu- 
sual noise, or perhaps because they had noth- 
ing better to do, opened the window to have 
some fun with the nightwatch. They were 
curious, too, to hear his song. 

“ Hightwatch ! ” cried one of the gentle- 
men, “ give us something fine about the 
Hew-year.” 


A Sylvester Niyht’s Adventure. 77 

This exclamation called up quite a little 
crowd at the window. So, when Julian had 
first called the hour according to rule, he 
sang out, with a loud clear voice : 

“You who sigh, in want and need, 

To the moral of this, my song, take heed: 

Pray the Lord that He, in his might, 

Will make you minister of finance this night. 
He leaves the state in sorest need, 

And seizes all for himself, in greed.” 

“ Oh ! somebody catch me ; I am faint,” 
cried the finance minister’s wife, who had 
also taken her stand at a window. “ Who is 
this miserable wretch that dares to do such a 
thing ? ” 

“Gracious madam,” answered Julian be- 
low, imitating the dialect of a Jew, “I only 
wanted to give you a little pleasure. I beg 
pardon, madam, but, don’t you know me; I 
am your good friend, Abraham Levi.” 

“ What, me ! ” screamed out a man’s voice, 
that of a Jew without imitation; “you shame- 
less rascal, you are Abraham Levi! Why, 


78 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


you reckless rogue, am I not Abraham Levi 
myself? You are a liar ! ” 

“ Call the watch ! ” cried the minister’s wife. 
“ Have the fellow arrested ! ” 

“At this all the guests precipitately fled 
from the window. Hor did the prince remain 
much longer. With rapid strides he reached 
the nearest corner, and disappeared in the 
darkness of an alley. 

Presently, the door of the palace opened, 
and a swarm of servants, accompanied by 
some of the minister’s secretaries and clerks, 
rushed out to capture the oflender. Pretty 
soon there was a cry : 

“Here he is, we have him!” — and all the 
rest gathered about him. 

Sure enough, they had captured a real night- 
watchman, who was strolling along, in perfect 
innocence, in the rounds of the duties of his 
office. He was soon surrounded, siezed, and, 
in spite of his struggles and protestations, 
carried off to the station house. The officer 
on duty shook his head in astonishment, as he 
said : 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


79 


“One of the nightwateli has already been 
reported for having recited some doggerel 
verses on the streets about the ladies of this 
city, and for having, on account of it, excited 
a street riot between the officers and citi- 
zens.” 

The prisoner disclaimed all knowledge of 
the affair, and vehemently protested his inno- 
cence : 

“ It must have been,” he said, “ some young 
revelers, who had taken this means to play a 
joke on him, to prevent him from discharging 
his duties.” 

But it was all in vain. One of the minis- 
ter’s clerks was able to repeat the exact words 
of the song which had excited the indignation 
of the minister’s wife, and all her guests. At 
this all the soldiers broke out in loud laughter. 
The honest night watch man, however, de- 
dcclared, with tears in his eyes, that he had 
never dreamed of saying such a thing. 

While this investigation was going on — the 
nightwatchman, persisting in declaring his in- 


80 A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 

nocence with such earnestness, laying all the 
blame on the young fellows who arrested 
him, that even the secretaries began to 
doubt if they had captured the right man — 
the soldier outside suddenly cried out : 

“ Guard to the front — present arms ! ” 

The soldiers sprang to their posts. The 
secretaries continued to overwhelm the night- 
watchman with questions, while the field-mar- 
shal entered the room, accompanied by the 
officer of the day. 

“Let that fellow be locked up close,” he 
said, pointing behind him where two officers 
were holding another watchman disarmed of 
his weapons. 

“ Why, what is the matter now,” exclaimed 
the officer on-duty ; “ have all the nightwatch- 
men gone crazy ? ” 

“ I will make this scoundrel pay for his in- 
famous verses to-morrow,” cried the field-mar- 
shal, in a rage. 

“ Your Excellency,” said the latest captured 
nightwatchman, trembling and panting, “ it 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 


81 


wasn’t me. God knows I never made up a 
verse in my life.” 

“Silence!” roared the field-marshal, in a 
terror-inspiring tone, “ I will send you to the 
fortress, or to the gallows; and if you say one 
word again, I will make krout of you on the 
spot ! ” 

The officer on duty regarded the field-mar- 
shal with great awe. “An epidemic of poetry 
must have broken out among the nightwatch,” 
he thought to himself, for this was now the 
third patron of the muses in the ranks of the 
nightwatch that had been brought to him 
within a quarter of an hour. 

“ Gentlemen,” said the field-marshal to his 
officers, “ since this fellow persists in denying 
that he sang any verses, I wish one of you 
would recall his dreadful pasquinade before it 
is forgotten. Write it down. We will know 
how to revive his memory to-morrow. I can’t 
waste any more time now. I must get off to 
the hall. Who recollects it?” 

The officers reflected a while. Finally, one 


82 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


helping the other, they got it all, and the offi- 
cer on duty took it down as follows : 

Oh ! come and see our field-marshal — 

There’s a feather bed on his empty head, 

And a pig-tail at his back. 

His breast is puffed; his stomach’s stuffed; 

In battle he’s a quack. 

But when the time of peace prevails — 

Where cards are played ; and there’s a pretty maid, 

Of whatever description, short or tall; 

And the fiddles call to dance at the ball ; 

’Tis there you’ll find our field-marshal. 

“ You scurrilous rogue!’’ shouted the field- 
marshal, whose anger was aroused to a white 
heat at the repetition of these words: “ You 
scurrilous rogue ! do you still deny having 
sang these verses in front of my house, while 
I was standing at the door? ” 

“It was somebody else,” said the frightened 
watchman, “ I know nothing about it at all.” 

“ Why did you run off, then, when I started 
after you ? ” 

“ I didn’t run. I wasn’t even there.” 

“What!” exclaimed several officers, “you 
did n’t run ? ” why were you so out of breath, 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 83 

then, when we finally caught you at the mar- 
ket house ? ” 

“ Why, I was so frightened, when I saw so 
many on me. All my bones pain me now, they 
do.” 

“ Lock the stiff-necked dog up,” cried the 
marshal to the officers of the watch. “ lie 
will be able to remember something by morn- 
ing.” And the marshal took his departure. 

The excitement on the streets, and the lam- 
poon of the nightwatch, had set the whole 
police force in motion. Within a quarter of 
an hour two other nightwatchmen, always the 
wrong ones, of course, had been arrested and 
brought in. One was said to have insulted 
the minister of foreign affairs with a song, to 
the effect that the minister was no where so 
foreign as in his own department; and the 
other had sung a song before the bishop’s pal- 
ace, which intimated that there was no lack of 
tallow in the church candles, but that they 
spread more soot and smoke than holiness 
over the land. 

The prince, whose audacity had brought the 


84 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

nightwatchmen in all parts of the city into 
so much trouble, easily made his escape from 
place to place, and became, in consequence, 
bolder at every step. Rumors of trouble brew- 
ing began to penetrate every-where. At last 
a report was sent to the minister of police, 
who was playing cards at the palace with the 
king, of the poetic insurrection of the night- 
watchmen, a set of men who were never known 
to have given trouble before ; and, as a proof 
of it, a copy of one of the lampoons was 
handed him. The king himself heard the 
reading of this specimen which was directed 
against the police themselves, accusing them 
of sticking their noses into the family affairs 
of every house in the cit} 7 , but not smelling 
the bad odors of their own mismanagement. 

The king laughed loud at this sally, and 
ordered one of the nocturnal poets to be 
brought in before him. He stopped the game 
at this point, as he saw that the minister of 
police had lost his good humor. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


85 


X. 

TX the dining hall adjoining, Philip, the 
-*• prince nightwatcliman, had just learned, 
by looking at his watch, that it was time for 
him to make his rendezvous at the church 
door. lie was very glad that the time had 
come to exchange his purple cloak and feather 
hat for his own simple garb, for he had not at 
all enjoyed his temporary possession of regal 
rights. 

As he was looking for the door through 
which he might slip out, the negro whom he 
had met before came running toward him, 
whispering : “ Your Highness, Duke Her- 
mann is looking for you every-where.” Philip 
shook his head in vexation, and went out of 
the room. But the negro followed him, and, 
as they reached the anteroom, whispered : 
“ By Heavens ! there comes the duke himself.’’ 
Whereupon the negro quickly sprang back 
into the hall. 


86 A Sylvester Night's' Adventure. 

A tall, stately masker now came up to 
Philip with quick strides. “ Stop a moment,” 
he said, “ I want a word with you. I have 
been looking for you a long time.” 

“ Be quick,” answered Philip, “for I have 
no time to lose.” 

“ I wish I had none to lose with you. I 
have been looking for you long enough. You 
owe me reparation. You have offered me an 
insult which can be expiated only with blood.” 

“ I am not aware of it.” 

“You do not seem to know me,” said the 
duke, as he raised his mask. “Now you 
know who I am, and your bad conscience will 
tell you the rest. I demand satisfaction. You 
and that accursed Salmoni deceived me.” 

“ I know nothing of it whatever,” responded 
Philip. 

“ It was you who got up that disgraceful af- 
fair in the baker girl’s cellar; and it was at 
your instigation that I was personally assault- 
ed by Colonel Kalt ” 

“Not a word of it is true.” 

“What, not true? You deny it? Mar- 


-A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 87 

chioness Blankensehwerd told me of it, only a 
few minutes ago. She was eye-witness of the 
comedy with the ghost, you played at my 
expense.” 

“ She must have told your highness a fable. 
I have had nothing whatever to do with 
the affair. If you condescend to play ghost 
stories, it is your own fault.” 

“ I demand that you give me satisfaction. 
If not, I will raise a disturbance. Follow me 
at once to the king. Either you fight with 
me, or — we go to the king.” 

“Your Highness,” stammered Philip, cm- 
barassed, “ I have no desire to fight you — nor 
to go to the king.” 

Philip was now dead in earnest, for he was 
afraid of being compelled to take off his 
mask. Should he be discovered, he felt sure 
he would be punished for assuming his role, 
even though it was against his will. So he 
made all kinds of excuses and evasions, with 
his eye on the door all the time, waiting a 
chance to escape and run. But the duke 
noticed his increasing anxiety, and became 


88 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

more and more insolent in liis demands. 
Finally, he seized Philip by the arm with the 
intention of forcing him to go to the king. 

“ What do you want with me ? ” cried Philip, 
in despair, as he freed himself from the duke. 

“ To the king!” said the duke, raging. 
“ He shall know how shamefully a royal guest 
has been treated in his house.” 

. “ Good ! ” said Philip, who did not see how 
he could help himself better than by assum- 
ing the role of the prince. “ Come, I am 
ready. Fortunately, I have with me your 
note, in which you assured the baker girl 

that you would give her a title ” 

“ Stuff, nonsense ! ” said the duke. “ That 
was one of the jokes that one would he al- 
lowed to make with such a stupid creature. 
Show it to the king. I can explain it.” 

Still, it seemed as if the duke was not so 
convinced that he would he able to explain it 
satisfactorily, for he no longer insisted on 
taking Philip to the king, and that suited Philip 
exactly. But the duke was so much the more 
anxious for the duel. He insisted upon it 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 89 

that they should both at once get into a car- 
V^riage, drive heaven knows where, and settle 
this affair of honor with pistols and swords. 
This course did not suit Philip any better 
than the other. He called up all the evil re- 
sults that might follow it. But the duke, in 
his wrath, was not to be dissuaded. He had 
already provided for every contingency, he 
claimed, and was prepared to leave the city 
this very night, if he must. 

“■If you are not the biggest coward in your 
land,” insultingly insisted the duke, “follow 
me at once to a carriage, Prince.” 

“ I am no prince,” said Philip, who was 
now driven to the last extremity. 

“ You are. Every one knows you here. I 
know you by your hat. You shall not es- 
cape me.” 

Philip raised his mask, showed the duke 
his face, saying : “ How, am I the prince ? ” 

When Duke Hermann saw before him a 
perfectly strange face, he stepped backward 
with a shock, and stood petrified. That he 
8 


90 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 


should have revealed his inmost secrets to an 
absolute stranger, amazed him and confounded 
him beyond the power of . words. Before he 
could collect himself enough to speak, Philip 
had the door in his hand, and was off. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


91 


XI. 

P HILIP had no sooner found himself in the 
open air, than he divested himself of his 
hat and cloak with astonishing rapidity, 
wrapped the hat in the cloak, and, with both 
under his arm, bent his way with giant strides 
toward the Gregory church. 

There stood Iiosie, sure enough, waiting for 
him in a dark angle near the lofty church 
door. 

“ Oh ! Philip, dear Philip,” she exclaimed, 
as soon as she recognized him, and pressed 
his hand, “ what joy you have given me! 
Oh, how happy we shall he ! See, I could 
not stay any longer with my friends. I am 
so glad you have come at last, for I have been 
waiting here a quarter of an hour already, 
and I am almost dead with the cold. But I 
do n’t think of the cold, I am so happy.” 

“And I, too, dear Rosie, thank God that I 
can be with you again. The deuce take all 


92 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

the tittle-tattle of the great lords. I must 
tell you some time all the silly tilings I have 
done to-night. But tell me, child of my heart, 
how is it with you ? Do you think you love 
me a little ? ” 

“ But, Philip, since you have become such 
a great man yourself, perhaps I ought to ask 
you if you still love me a little? ” 

“Jeminy! How do you know that I am 
a great man ? ” 

“ Why, you told me so yourself. Oh ! 
Philip, Philip, if you only do n’t grow too 
proud for me, now that you are so enormously 
rich. I am a poor girl, and I am afraid I am 
not good enough for you now. But, Philip, 
I thought that if you would leave me because 
of it, I would rather you had remained a gar- 
dener.” 

“ Bosie, Bosie, what are you prattling 
about? I was a prince for half an hour, hut 
that was only a joke. But, I tell you, I will 
never make such a joke again. How I am 
nightwatchman again, and am as poor as ever. 
I have, it is true, the five thousand guldens 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 93 

with me yet, that I got from the mameluke — 
they could help us both very handsomely — 
hut, unfortunately, they do n’t belong to me.” 

“ How strange you talk, Philip,” said Rosie, 
as she handed him the heavy purse she had 
received from the prince. “ Here, take your 
money back. It is too heavy for me to carry.” 

“What am I to do with all this money, 
Rosie ? Where did you get it ?” 

“ You said you won it in the lottery, 
Philip.” 

“ What ? Did I really win ? Why, they 
told me at the council-house that my number 
failed ! I did buy a ticket, in the hope of 
getting something to help us out with the 
taxes. But gardener Rothman said to me, as 
I reached the council-house too late for the 
drawing: - Poor Philip, no number for you.’ 
Hurra ! And so I have won. How I will 
buy a big garden ; and now we can get mar- 
ried, Rosie. How much is it ? ” 

“ Philip, have you had a glass too much on 
this Hew-year’s-night ? You ought to know 
better than I can how much it is. I only 


94 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


dared to look into the purse once under the 
table at my friend’s. I could only steal a look 
at it, hut I was almost frightened when I saw 
one piece of gold after another shining in the 
purse. Then I thought it was no wonder you 
were so naughty, Philip. For you were right 
naughty, you know. But I could n’t he angry 
with you, Philip. I would like to have seized 
you about the neck, Philip, and cried it all 
out for joy.” 

“ Rosie, if you would like to do that, I 
think I could stand it. But there is some 
misunderstanding here ! Who brought you 
the money, and told you it was my number 
at the lottery ? I have my number now in a 
box at home, and nobody asked me for it.” 

“ Philip, you do n’t want to make a jest 
with me. You brought it to me yourself, a 
quarter of an hour ago, and you told me 
yourself about it.” 

“ Rosie, think a minute. I saw you this 
morning as you were coming from mass, and 
then we made this engagement for to-night. 
I have 11’t seen you since then.” 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 95 

“ Except a half an hour ago, when I heard 
you blowing your horn, and I ran out and 
called you in the house at Steinman’s. But 
what are you carrying under your arm? 
What are you doing this cold night without 
your hat ? Philip, Philip, you must take care 
of yourself. All this money is turning your 
head. You must have gone into some saloon, 
and taken more than is good for you. What 
is that, Philip, in that bundle ? Goodness ! 
Why, it ’s a woman’s silk cloak ! Philip, 
Philip, where have you been ? ” 

u You know very well that I was n’t with 
you half an hour ago. Are you trying to 
make fun of me ? Answer me, now, where 
did you get that money ? ” 

“Answer me first, Philip. Where did you 
get those women’s clothes ? Where have you 
been?” 

They were both impatient for an answer; 
and, as neither of them would answer first, 
they began to grow suspicious of each other, 
and to quarrel. 


96 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


XII. 


KD now it happened here, as it usually 



d- ^ happens among lovers under such cir- 
cumstances. So soon as Rosie took out her 
white handkerchief, dried her eyes, turned 
away her little head, -and heaved one sigh 
after another from her troubled breast, she 
was clearly, entirely right, and he entirely 
wrong. 

And Philip acknowledged his wrong like a 
man, consoling her, and confessing : that he 
had been to a mask hall, and the things he had 
under his arm were not women’s things, hut 
his silk cloak, his mask and his feathered hat. 

But now after this penitent confession, which 
was absolutely due, of course, the severest 
cross-examination began. A mask hall, as 
every girl in the city knew, is for inexperi- 
enced persons a most dangerous place. One 
plunges in a sea of unknown dangers, and if 
he is not a good swimmer, he frequently goes 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 97 

under. Now,’ Rosie did not consider her 
friend Philip a particularly good swimmer; 
it was hard to say, why? But he must first 
explain, if he had danced ? On his denial, 
he must say if he had had any thing to 
do with any female maskers. That he 
could not exactly deny. He confessed every 
thing, hut he always added that the women 
were all very fine and respectable women, arid 
they had all mistaken him for another. Rosie 
was inclined to he a little dubious, but she did 
not give expression to her suspicions. But 
when he in response to the question as to whom 
he had been taken for, and from whom he had 
borrowed his mask, always named prince 
Julian, she could not help shaking her in- 
credulous head. Still more improbable it 
seemed to her that the prince had assumed the 
role of nightw'atchman while Philip had been 
at the ball. But he continued to annul all her 
doubts with the assurance that the prince, as 
he insisted upon calling his substitute, would 
be, according to agreement, at the church door 
9 


98 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


in a few minutes, to exchange his nightwatch- 
man’s cloak for his own apparel. 

Gradually the light began to dawn upon the 
frightened Rosie concerning the adventure 
in the dark vestibule at her friends. She had 
already remarked that there was something 
very strange in the conduct of the pretended 
Philip. And so, when it came her turn to con- 
fess, with detail to the splitting of a hair, how 
she got the gold from the lottery, she began 
to stammer and to hesitate about words in 
such away, that Philip became quite anxious. 
Finally she told every thing that happened. 
But when it came to the kiss and the re- 
turn of the kiss, she was again at a loss for 
words. However, this, too, had all to come out 
at last. 

“It is not true,” cried Philip. “I did not 
give you a kiss, and you did not return it.” 

“ But it was meant for you all the same, 
Philip,” said Rosie, softly and soothingly. 

Philip had rubbed his hair into a wilderness 
with both hands, to keep it from standing on 
end. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 99 

“ Listen, Philip/’ continued Rosie, anxiously, 
“ if it was not you, I will believe every thing 
you told me — that it must have been Prince 
Julian in your clothes.” This with the air of 
carrying conviction by acknowledging the 
most incredible thino-s. 

O 

Philip, who had already begun to suspect 
as much, now cried out : 

“ The thief! To steal your kisses from me ! 
Now I understand him. It was only on that ac- 
count that he gave me his mask ; that was 
the reason why he wanted to be me for half 
an hour ! ” 

And now he remembered the masker who 
spoke to him first of Kollina, and afterward 
of Posie. Whereupon his cross-examination 
was more searching than ever. If she had 
ever seen the prince before, and where ; if 
she had ever seen a man, a rather respectable 
looking man, who had watched her on going 
to church, or had addressed her in her street; 
if this man, or any other man, or woman, had 
ever gone to her mother and offered her money, 
or any other kind of assistance? 


100 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


Rosie’s answers were without exception so 
perfectly simple, and were given with the assur- 
ance of such absolute innocence, that Philip’s 
heart soon grew light again, and he began to be 
almost ashamed of his suspicions. Bathe could 
not help warning her against the insinuations 
and the sympathy of any one from the upper 
classes; and Bosie, in return, repeated her 
warning concerning the dangers of masked 
balls, and all intercourse with women of the 
the upper classes, by which many a good 
young fellow had been brought to grief. All 
unknown sins were now freely forgiven all 
round, and Philip was just about to demand 
the kiss which had been intended for him, and 
which he had not received — when, at the very 
moment of the highest felicity, the lovers were 
interrupted by the sudden appearance of a 
stranger. 

The new arrival came upon them breathless, 
with a leap and a bound. By his cloak, stick 
and hat, Philip recognized his man at once. 
But the stranger looked about him for some 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 101 

one with his own attire. Philip handed him 
his garments with the remark : 

“ Here, your Highness, take your things. 
We will never change again in this world.” 

“ Be quick, be quick ! ” cried the prince, as he 
threw the nightwatehman’s things down on 
the snow in his haste, fastened oil his own 
mask and cloak, and put on his hat. Philip 
picked up, and clothed himself in his own old 
cloak, and took possession of his staff and horn. 

“ I promised you something, comrade,” the 
prince remarked, “ hut upon my soul I haven’t 
my purse with me.” 

“ Here it is,” said Philip, as he held it out 
to him. “ You gave it to my Rosie here — but, 
may it please your Highness, we don’t take 
presents of that kind.” 

“ Comrade, mine, keep it, and clear out as 
fast as you can,” cried the prince. “ You 
won’t find it healthy around here,” the prince 
continued, as he turned hastily to go. But 
Philip caught him by the cloak : 

“We must have an understanding about 
one little matter first,” he said. 


102 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

“ Run ! I tell you — fly ! the police are after 
you.” 

“ I have no cause to run, your Highness. 
But your purse here — ” 

“ Keep it, I tell you, and get off as fast as 
you can.” 

But the five thousand guldens of Marshal 
Blankenschwerd’s debts?” 

“ Why, what in the thunder do you know 
about Marshal Blankenschwerd ? ” 

“ He said it was a debt of honor, payable to 
you. He is going off with his wife to-night 
to Poland.” 

“Are you mad ? How do you know that ? 
"When did he tell you any thing about me ? ” 

“And, your Highness, Bodenlos, the minis- 
ter of finance, says that Abraham Levi will 
pay all your debts if you will use yopr influ- 
ence to keep him in office.” 

“ Higlit watchman are you possessed of the 
devil ! ” 

“ But I refused it in your name.” 

“ You — the minister ! ” 

“ Yes, your Highness; and T succeeded in 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


103 


reconciling Countess Bonau and Chamberlain 
Pilzow” 

- “ Which of us two is a fool, I would like to 
know ? ” 

“ Only one thing more, your Highness. The 
opera singer, Rollina, is a had character. I 
know all her history. You have been be- 
trayed. So I considered it unworthy the dig- 
nity of your Royal Highness to have any 
thing to do with her; and I declined the en- 
gagement with her this evening.” 

“ Bollina? Why, how did you learn that? ” 

“Oh! and Duke Hermann is in rage with 
you on account of that affair in the -cellar. 
He threatens to complain to the king.” 

“ The duke ! In the name of heaven, who 
told you all this? ” 

“He did himself. You are not yet quite 
safe. He wont go to the king; for 1 threat- 
ened him with the letter he gave to the baker 
girl. But he insists upon fighting you. You 
had better look out for him.” 

“ Tell me one thing : Do you know how the 
duke knows that I ” 


104 A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 

“ Marchioness Blankenschwerd told him 
every thing, and that she was, herself, the 
witch in the ghost story.” 

The prince seized Philip by the arm, say- 
ing: “Look here, young fellow! you are no 
nightwatchman.” He turned him about, so 
that the light from a distant lantern could 
fall upon him ; and started back as he saw a 
face which was perfectly strange to him : 

“Are you an emissary of the devil,” he 
cried ; “ or who are you anyhow ? ” 

“ I am Philip Stark, the gardener, son of 
Gottlieb Stark, the nightwatchman,” Philip 
answered, with perfect self-possession. 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 105 


XIII. 



IIA ! Here he is ! Halt ! young fel- 


low; you are the man!.” cried out 


several voices; and Philip, Rosie, and the 
prince saw themselves suddenly surrounded 
by six substantial servants of the police. 

Rosie gave a shriek; hut Philip caught 
her by the hand, saying, “Don’t he afraid. 
I am with you.” 

The prince tapped Philip on the shoulder, 
“ How you see,” he said, “I told you to jun. 
You should have gone. But, never mind. 
They won’t hurt you.” 

• £ We’ll see about that later,” said one of 
the police; “meantime he goes with us.” 

“Where?” said Philip, “I am on duty 
now. I am the nigh twatch man.” 

“Yes we already know that. That’s the 
reason we want you.” 

“ Oh ! let him go ! ” said Julian, fumbling in 
his ppcket after money. As he found none, 


106 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


he whispered to Philip to give them some out 
of his purse. But the police quickly pushed 
them apart: “ No talking together here. 
That masker will have to come too !” 

“Yo!” said Philip, “ not him. You said 
you wanted the nightwatchman, and here he 
is. If you hold yourselves responsible for 
taking me away from my post, go on — take 
me where you will. But this gentleman has 
nothing to do with me.” 

“ It is- not your business to teach us,” said 
one of the police. “ This man is a suspicious 
character. Words enough, now. March — 
every man ! ” 

“ But the girl, here,” asked Philip. “ I hope 
you do n’t mean ” 

“Well; we don’t care for the girl. We 
have no orders for anv woman. But we 11 
take down her name and residence, and take 
a look at her face, so we ’ll know her again 
in case of need.” - 

“ She is the daughter of widow Bittner, of 
Milk-lane,” said Philip, intensely annoyed and 
angry as he saw the villains turn the face of 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 107 


the weeping maiden toward the light and all 
gaze at her. “ Now, go home, Itosie,” he 
said to her; “don’t he afraid; fear nothing 
for me. My conscience is all right.” 

But Rosie sobbed so loud and bitterly as to 
even draw sympathy from the police. The 
prince seeing this diversion, thought it would 
be a good chance to escape; so he made a 
start to get off. But one of the men seized 
him at once, saying : 

a Hello ! this fellow must have a bad con- 
science. He must go with us. Forward — 
march ! ” 

“ Where ? ” asked the prince. 

“ Straight to the minister of police him- 
self,” was the reply. 

“ Hold ! ” cried the prince, in deep earnest 
now, for he was anxious that neither his nor 
Philip’s adventures should be known any 
further; “I want you to understand that I 
met the nightwatchman here quite accident- 
ally, just this moment, and that you have no 
right over me whatever. I belong to the court, 
and if you presume to force me to go with 


108 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 


yon, you will find out your mistake to-morrow, 
and some of you will go to the tower, on bread 
and water.” 

“ You had better let him go,” Philip added ; 
“I give you my word, he is one of our great 
men, and he can make it pretty hot for you, if 
you don’t. He is ” 

“ Silence !” cried the prince. “ Let no one 
know from you who I am, even if you have 
discovered it. You understand, nobody. No- 
body, I tell you again — no matter what hap- 
pens ! ” 

“¥e are only doing our duty,” said one of 
the police ; “ and no one will put us in the 
tower for that. Perhaps the gentleman in the 
mask may have to go there himself. We 
have heard this kind of talk before, and we 
are not much afraid of it. Now, march! ” 

“ Good people,” persisted Philip, “be reason- 
able. That gentleman is one of the highest 
nobles at court.” 

“ If he were the king himself, he would 
have to go with us now,” said one of the po- 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 109 

lice. “ He is a more suspicious character than 
ever.” 

“A very nice nobleman he is,” said another 
officer, “to he talking to a nightwatchman, 
and to be telling him secrets in a whisper, as 
I sav T a few minutes ago.” 

During this strife about the prince, a carriage 
with full livery, drawn by eight horses and pre- 
ceded by torch-bearers, came dashing up. 

“ Halt ! ” cried a voice from within, as the 
carriage checked up in front of the circle about 
the prince. 

The carriage stopped at once. A footman 
opened the door, and a man, clad in a heavy 
overcoat, on the breast of which shone a star 
of a royal order, stepped out and went at once 
to the group at the door of the church. He 
pushed the officers aside with the air of one 
accustomed to authority, scanned the prince 
from top to toe, and said : “ Correct ! I thought 
I knew that feathered hat as soon as I saw it. 
Who are you ? ” 

Julian, in his embarassment, did not know 
which way to turn, or what to do or say, for 


110 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

he had at once recognized that it was Duke 
Herman. 

“Answer me!” roared the duke in a voice 
of thunder. Julian shook his head, and mo- 
tioned to the duke to go away. But the duke 
became only the more eager to know with 
whom he had had to do at the ball. He inquired 
of the oflicers, who were now standing about 
him with uncovered heads. They had been 
ordered, they said, to take the nightwatch- 
man at once to the minister of police. He 
had been charged with having sung godless 
songs, as they themselves heard, but he had 
escaped them through side streets and alleys, 
until now, when they had caught him holding 
a confidential conversation with the man in the 
mask, who seemed to them as suspicious as 
the nightwatchman himself. 

“ The fellow does not belong to the court, 
said the duke. lie lies. I give you my word 
for it. He stole in at the ball without any per- 
mission, and tried to make every body believe 
he was Prince Julian. He had to unmask 
himself before me at last, however ; but he de- 


A Sylvester Nic/ht’s Adventure. 


Ill 


ceivecl me too, at first, and then ran off*. He 
is some unknown adventurer. I reported him 
to the master of ceremonies. Off with him ! 
Take him to the palace right away. You 
have made a good capture.” 

With these words the duke turned about, 
stepped into his carriage, and as he was about 
to drive away, cried out: “ Don’t let the fel- 
low escape l” and was off. 

The prince saw that he was lost. He did 
not think it proper to show his face to the 
policemen ; as, if he should, his follies would he 
town talk. He concluded he would incur 
less risk before the minister of police, or the 
master of ceremonies. So he cried out : 

“All right, come on ! ” 

The procession started, leaving poor little 
Rosie looking after it with tears in her eyes. 


112 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure . 


XIY. 


HXLIP now began to feel that he must 



either believe in witchcraft, or that he was 
dreaming, as such a whirl and confusion of 
events, as had happened in the last few hours 
he had never experienced in his life. He had 
really no reproaches to make against himself, 
except that he had exchanged clothes with the 
prince, and that was against his will — for the 
role which he had assumed at the ball had been 
really forced upon him. And since the prince 
had not played his role as nightwatchman ex- 
actly according to rule — else why would he let 
himself be arrested as a nightwatchman — he 
hoped to find in him defense and support. 

When they reached the palace Philip felt 
his heart beat faster and faster. The police 
took possession of his cloak, horn, and staff. 
The prince addressed a few words to one of 
the higher officers, and the police were sent 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 113 

away at once. He then ascended the steps, 
and Philip had to follow him. 

“Fear nothing,” the prince said to him, as 
he left him. Philip was then led into a small 
anteroom, where he remained a long time 
alone. 

At last one of the royal servants came to 
him and said : 

“ Come with me, the king wishes to see 
you.” 

Philip was almost beside himself with fright. 
His knees actually trembled under him, as he 
was led into a magnificent chamber. There 
sat. the king at a table, almost convulsed with 
laughter, while Julian, without his mask, stood 
beside him. There was no one else in the 
room. 

The king regarded the young man closely 
for some time, and, as it seemed, with some 
degree of favor. 

“ Tell me every thing exactly as it hap- . 
pened,”. said the king, finally, “ every thing 
that yon did and saw this evening.” 

10 


114 A Sylvester Night's Adventure. 

Philip felt so much encouraged and stimu- 
lated by the courteous manner of his honored 
king, that he was able to relate, with the ut- 
most detail, his whole experience from begin- 
ning to end. But he was shrewd enough, and 
modest enough, to withhold every thing that, 
in his role of prince, he had heard from the 
noble gentry at the court ball that might em- 
barrass Prince Julian. 

At some points of the narrative the king 
burst into loud laughter, and he seemed highly 
entertained with all of it. Thereupon, he 
made some inquiries concerning Philip’s ante- 
cedents, and business, with which he appeared 
satisfied, and taking a couple of gold pieces 
from the table handed them to him, saying : 

“ Now go, my boy, and attend to your 
duties. No harm shall happen to you. But 
never tell any one what you have done and 
seen this night. This I tell you as an order 
from me. Now go ! ” 

Philip did not go at once, however. He fell 
at the king’s feet and covered his hands with 
kisses, all the time trying in vain to utter some 


A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 115 

words of thanks. As he again stood up, and 
was about to go, Prince Julian said : 

“ May I beg your Majesty to permit this 
young man to wait a few moments outside? 
I owe it to him to make him for myself some 
reparation for the misfortune I brought upon 
him to-night.” . 

The king nodded his head with a smile, as 
Philip withdrew. 

“ Prince ! ” said the king, with his finger 
lifted in warning : it is fortunate for you that 
you have told me the truth. I will once more 
forgive you this foolish, silly trick. You 
really deserve punishment. If you are guilty 
of such folly again, I will not overlook it. 
Ho excuse shall serve you again. This affair 
with Duke Herman I shall have to inves- 
tigate. I shall be glad it he does leave us, 
for I do not like him. I shall have to look 
up some further proofs of the reports you 
make concerning the ministers of police and 
finance. Go, now, and give the young gar- 
dener something. He has behaved better in 
your mask, than you have in his.” 


116 A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 

The prince left the king. He took off his 
ball, attire in the next room, donned his over- 
coat, had Philip called, and ordered him to 
follow him to his own palace. Here he made 
Philip go over every thing, word by word, 
that he had done and said at the ball. Philip 
obeyed implicitly. When he was through 
the prince tapped him on the shoulder, and 
said : 

“ Philip, you are a keen fellow. I am sat- 
isfied with you, and I shall have use for you. 
What you said in my name to Chamberlain 
Pilzow, to the Countess Bonan, to the marshal 
and his wife, to Colonel Kalt, the minister of 
finance, and the others, was all perfectly sen- 
sensible and good, and I will carry it all out, 
as if I had said it myself. But you must, on 
your side, take to yourself all the verses which 
I perpretrated in your name as nightwatch- 
man ; you will, in punishment, lose your office 
of nightwatchman, but you need not grieve 
over that, for I shall make you gardener of 
my grounds. You shall have both my palace 
gardens, at Heimleben, and Quellenthal. The 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 117 

money I gave your bride may go to pay your 
taxes, and the note of exchange from Marshal 
Blankenschwerd, I take up now with this five 
thousand guldens which shall be a dowry for 
your bride. Now go, commence your new 
duties at once, and serve me as your protector 
and friend.” 


118 A Sylvester Night's Adventure . 


XY. 


IIO was happier than our Philip ! He 



~ * reached Rosie’s house with a leap and 
a hound. Rosie had not yet gone to bed. 
She sat weeping at a table with her mother. 
Philip threw the money on the table crying : 

“ Rosie, this money is for the taxes, and 
this is your dowry from the prince. I have 
lost my place as nightwatchman for the mis- 
takes I have made, but to-morrow I am to be 
his palace gardener. Mother, you and Rosie 
will go with me to Ileimleben, and my father 
and mother will go with us, too. I have got 
enough for all of us. Hurrah ! God give 
every good man a Hew-year as happy as mine.” 

Widow Bittner did not know whether she 
could trust her ears with Philip’s story, or her 
eyes with his gold. But when Philip told her 
all about it — that is, as much as was necessary 
for her to know — she ran sobbing to his arms, 
and then took her daughter to her heart. 


A Sylvester Night’s Adventure. 119 

“ Do your father and mother know it yet ? ” 
she 'asked, and, as he answered : 

“ No, not yet,” she turned to Rosie will 

“ Come, make haste ; kindle the fire and 
make coffee enough for five.” Whereupon 
she threw her cloak about her, and started 
off for Philip’s house. 

But Rosie forgot the fire and the coffee en- 
entirely ; for, when the widow returned, accom- 
panied by Philip’s aged father and mother, she 
found the lovers as she had left them, locked 
in each others arms. If she wanted coffee, 
they said, she must make it herself. 

How Philip lost his place on the nightwatcli, 
how the marriage occurred two weeks later, 
and how they all journeyed off to Heimleben, 
where Philip entered upon a service for which 
he was so much better fitted — all this does not 
belong to the New-year’s-night’s Adventure, 
which is the sole occasion of this story. 


THE END. 



























































